


Tether

by helsinkibaby



Category: FBI (TV 2018)
Genre: 2x11 spoilers, Angst, F/M, Het, Romance, post ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22852513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: Kristen wakes up in the hospital.
Relationships: Kristen Chazal/Jubal Valentine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Tether

**Author's Note:**

> Post ep for 2.11 Fallout because I couldn't stand it that Jubal didn't get to see Kristen in the hospital.

When Kristen opened her eyes, she knew she’d been asleep for quite a while. This time she felt slightly more alert than the last, a sign that some of the drugs had worn off, although the lack of any pain told her that at least some of them were still in her system. The light in the room was the giveaway though, not so much around her bed because the harsh, fluorescent hospital lighting was more than doing its thing. The hall outside though seemed much darker than it had been as she’d watched Maggie and OA taking their leave of her, all but dragging a clearly unhappy Stuart home for some rest. She frowned, wondering just what time it was, and it was then that there was a movement out of the corner of her eye. 

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” Jubal’s voice was light, the faintest hint of a smile playing around his lips. That changed pretty quickly when hot tears suddenly pooled in Kristen’s eyes, when a lump rose in her throat that felt as if it was going to burst the stitches that the very nice surgeon had so carefully put into her neck. Dimly, as if from very far away, the beep of a monitor grew slightly more rapid, in direct tandem with Jubal’s eyes growing ever wider “Kris? Kris?” 

It was the worry - no, she corrected herself, the fear - in his voice that snapped her back to reality, made her force words past her lips as she reached out a hand to him. “You’re here.” 

He took her outstretched hand in both of his, the chair making a screeching sound as he dragged it closer to the bed. “Of course I’m here.” His voice was gently teasing, the same tone she’d heard used on hundreds of long days and late nights, first in the office, then curled on the couch in one of their apartments, or better yet, in one of their bedrooms. “Where else would I be?” 

“Stuart was here. Maggie and OA too.” And glad as she’d been to see her partner and her friends, he was the one she’d really wanted, the one she’d been waiting for. She’d fallen asleep waiting for him, she realised, and she fought against the next words she felt rising up in her throat. 

They came anyway. 

“I thought you were mad at me.” 

What the hell, she thought as the words hung in the air between them and his jaw dropped. She was totally going to blame that on the drugs. 

To his credit, Jubal recovered quickly. “Kris, no. No. I’m not mad at you.” 

The tears were back in her eyes again. “I messed up. Got hurt.” 

Jubal shook his head. “Kris, I’m not mad at you.” He lifted her hand, still caught in between both of his, brought it to his lips. “At Jordan Cameron, for pulling a knife, definitely. At Harry Bloom for not listening to us, sure. At the situation, at the universe for letting this happen? Oh yeah.” He kissed her knuckles again. “But not you. I promise, never you.” Another kiss to the back of her hand. “Never.” 

He was so obviously sincere - and though he had years of undercover experience, when it came to her, Jubal had no poker face whatsoever so she knew he was telling the truth - that Kristen felt a weight lift from her shoulders. When he continued, eyes unblinking, never leaving hers, “I let everyone else come first because I knew... I knew when I got in here, I’d never want to leave,” she felt oddly weightless, almost like she was floating, his tight grip on her hand the only thing tethering her to reality. 

“I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice was a bare whisper but he heard the words, the beaming smile that lit up his face all the proof that she needed. 

Slowly, he stood, his hands never leaving hers as he moved to sit on the edge of her bed. That close, he could lean down, brush his lips first over her forehead, then, ever so gently, as if he was afraid that she would break, over her lips. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said quietly. “I know... I know, believe me, you can’t promise that, I get it. But Kris...” He sucked in a shuddering breath and it shuddered equally when he exhaled. “Sweetheart, please don’t ever do that to me again.” 

She knew exactly what he meant, moved her head up and down in a jerky nod because her throat ached, not from the wound but from unshed tears, tears that she didn’t want to let fall. Jubal knew her well though, well enough to see that because one hand lifted from hers, went to her cheek, thumb swiping under her eyes, wiping the tears away. 

Moving her head hurt but she managed to turn so that her lips caught the side of his palm. “I love you,” she whispered and just like that, the shadows vanished from his eyes as his lips curled up into a smile. 

She’d never said those words to him before and suddenly she was holding her breath. 

He didn’t make her wait long. “I love you too,” he said and the heart monitor sped up again, even more so when he leaned down and kissed her, more thoroughly this time. 

The noise didn’t annoy her though. On the contrary, after those four little words, it was the best sound she’d ever heard.


End file.
